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Summer is coming to an end which means the leaves will start changing, the weather will begin cooling and everyone will be spending more time inside our homes. It may also be the time of year when homeowners begin wondering if it may be a good time to move. Many sellers think that fall is a bad time to put their home on the market but, as real estate experts will tell you, that’s simply not the case.

Autumn is typically a popular time of year for corporations to relocate associates, which creates a pool of buyers who need to make quick decisions about housing. These buyers will be serious about purchasing and, with fewer houses on the market and less competition for sellers, a home for sale may get more attention than it would any other time of year. So what can homeowners do to make sure their home sells before all the leaves fall off the trees?

Here are a few helpful tips.

Highlight the location. Bring the benefits of the location front and center. Establish a list of perks that the property offers, such as proximity to public transportation, schools, shopping, recreation or entertainment.

Use the season for curb appeal. Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year and by using that advantage, a home can stand out from others in the neighborhood. Leaves turning shades of crimson and gold can add extra appeal to the total look of the home’s exterior, but they can also get out of hand. Make sure trees and shrubs are properly groomed and that fallen leaves don’t suffocate the front lawn. Add pumpkins, gourds or a fall display to the front porch to invite in potential buyers.

Stage your home. Buyers need to be able to envision themselves living in the home before they will consider buying it. By de-cluttering, de-personalizing and thoroughly cleaning the entire house, prospective buyers will immediately imagine their furniture in the rooms and photos on the walls. Also, don’t be afraid to liven up the home by bringing the outside indoors during this beautiful season. If the dining room is a sea of beige, set up a vase of twigs, leaves or acorns from your yard.

Get everything in tip-top shape. Buyers will most likely hire an inspector before closing, so talk to a Realtor about finding one who’ll visit your home before you put it on the market to avoid any surprises. Pay close attention to elements around the home that are important in the fall. For example, make sure gutters are cleared of fallen leaves and that fireplaces are in working order.

Know the home for sale. Access to real estate information on the Internet means that buyers are walking into the home more educated than ever. Take the time to review similar homes on real estate websites like www.coloradohomes.com or www.realtor.com. The listing agent will also be up to date on the conditions and price ranges of other homes for sale in the area. This will allow better negotiation with potential buyers.

Hire a tech savvy Realtor. Living in an age when nearly everyone owns a cell phone and 90 percent of home buyers use the internet during their home search has an impact on these decisions. Instant information and communication have become the norm in our society, so Realtors are taking advantage of today’s tech tools to reach prospective buyers quickly and effectively.A tech savvy agent will work with cell phone applications, Websites, digital cameras and much more to be able to connect with the right buyer for individual homes.

Despite what rumor may say, this time of year offers plenty of opportunity to sell a home. By taking a few simple steps to make sure houses are ready to hit the market, sellers can better prepare themselves for what is to come. After all, the more welcoming the home is to possible buyers, the more welcoming it will be to offers.

The Denver-area housing market showed the most appreciation of any major market outside of California cities and Boston, according to a national second-quarter report released this week.

Denver-area homes gained an average of 2.5 percent in the second quarter from the same period in 2009, according to the report by Zillow.com. That compares with an overall drop in value of 3.2 percent for the nation.

When Zillow looked at the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas, Denver ranked No. 6. Four of the cities showing bigger increases than Denver were in California. San Diego was No. 1 at 7.3 percent. San Francisco was up by 5.9 percent; San Jose, 5.6 percent; and Los Angeles, 5.5 percent. . Boston home prices rose by 3.2 percent. Miami – Fort Lauderdale showed the biggest decline, falling by 15.2 percent, while Phoenix homes prices fell by 11.8 percent.

Denver’s ranking no surprise

Denver’s relative performance to most markets, ”does not surprise me,” said Lane Hornung, president of 8Z Real Estate and an owner of Cohomefinder.com. “Especially when you take out San Francisco, San Diego and Boston – where home prices have been fallen so much more, so now that they have started to recover, their increases are amplified so much more, Denver really is one of the better performing cities relative to other places in the country. Denver is starting to show nice, steady appreciation, without the huge amount of ups and downs as some other places.”

That’s not to say everyone who bought a home has seen it appreciate.

“If you bought at the worst time, in a location where land was plentiful, you’re hurting,” Hornung said. “When you bought your home if you could stand on your driveway and see nothing but plains around you, you’re in trouble.”

He said a “good analogy” is to compare those areas to “foreclosure alleys,” instead of a “tornado alley.”

Chris Mygatt, President of Coldwell Banker Colorado

Chris Mygatt, president of Coldwell Banker Colorado, said at times he is skeptical of Zillow’s data, but he said that this latest report seems in line with other national reports, such as S&P Case-Shiller and government reports. Nationally, 99 of the 144 MSA surveyed by Zillow showed year-over-year declines. That was the 14th consecutive qurater of year-over-year declines for the overall nation.

From the first quarter to second quarter, Denver-area homes gained 1 percent, compared with a 0.6 percent quarter-to-quarter overall decline for the nation as a whole, according to Zilow. · Negative equity dipped in the second quarter, with 21.5 percent of all single-family homes with mortgages underwater, down from 23.3 percent in the first quarter.

Negative equity, the percentage of single-family homeowners with mortgages who are underwater, fell from 23.3 percent in the first quarter, and from 23 percent a year ago. Denver, however, showed a negative equity of 29.1 percent, according to Zillow.

Mixed-bag for nation

“As the national housing market limps toward stabilization, individual markets are a mixed bag,” said Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries. “The double (federal and state) tax credits for some California homebuyers have certainly stimulated housing demand there and are partly responsible for the rapid – and likely unsustainable – rates of appreciation in many markets across the state. While there is some uncertainty about how home values will respond in those markets once all incentives are removed, it’s certain they can’t continue at their current rates of appreciation, but is unlikely they will re-test the low points reached in 2009.

“Markets in other parts of the country, like Miami and Phoenix, are not yet showing signs of reaching a bottom in home values,” he continued. ”High supply continues to be a challenge in states like Florida and Arizona. Nationally, home values are moving in the right direction as rates of decline continue to slow.

“There is a large unknown on the horizon, however, as these second quarter numbers are still heavily influenced by the federal homebuyer tax credits, which were available for homes under contract by the end of April. Home sales are declining significantly in the post-tax credits environment, but the impact of falling home sales on already-declining home values is yet to be seen. Recent trends in home values suggest the nation could reach a bottom in the latter half of 2010, but we continue to be cautious about the impact of declining home sales.”

There are so many reasons why Denver is a great place to live. This post from Coldwell Banker Blue Matter is yet another reason why so many are proud to call it home. AND not to discount all of the wonderful working dads…this applies to them also.

Among several items recently passed by the Colorado Legislature is HB 10-1133 which amends the Colorado Foreclosure Protection Act. This law applies to real estate investors who buy and flip short sale properties in Colorado, also referred to as short sale flippers or equity purchasers.

HB 10-1133 requires now that if the short sale flipper intends to sell the short sale property within 14 days of purchase, they must disclose the subsequent sale to all parties involved in the transactions. In short, there are two forms of disclosure:

1. Disclosure to the current homeowner/seller and the short sale lender. The buyer must disclose the terms of the subsequent contract including the purchase price and identified buyer within one business day, and never later than the closing date of the short sale.

2. Disclosure to the subsequent purchaser and mortgage lender when applicable. The short sale flipper or equity purchaser must disclose the terms of the contract including but not limited to the purchase price with the current homeowner/seller and his/her lender. If the subsequent purchaser is paying cash, disclosure is only required to the current homeowner/seller. This disclosure must be made at the time of the subsequent contract and be part of the contract.

There is one other component to HB 10-1133 that should not be overlooked. The Colorado Foreclosure Protection Act currently requires translation of the entire real estate contract into the principal language of the seller. They believe this has discouraged purchases of homes in or near foreclosure if the seller did not speak English. HB 10-1133 now requires that only one paragraph be translated into the language of the seller through a separate notice. The paragraph reads as follows and takes effect January 1, 2011:

“THIS TRANSACTION INVOLVES IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX LEGAL CONSEQUENCES, INCLUDING YOUR RIGHT TO CANCEL THIS TRANSACTION WITHIN THREE BUSINESS DAYS FOLLOWING THE DATE YOU SIGN THIS CONTRACT. YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY OR SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM A HOUSING COUNSELOR BY CALLING THE COLORADO FORECLOSURE HOTLINE AT 1-877-601-HOPE (CURRENT/CORRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER).”

A copy of this bill is available through the Colorado General Assembly and available to you by clicking on this link.

This week’s edition of Weekly Market Watch will provide a Q&A with answers to many of the questions real estate agents hear from the public.

1. What will the industry do to adjust to the new market demand or lack thereof?

In recent years, the industry has been adjusting as the market has struggled with the economic downturn. But at Coldwell Banker, the only way to grapple with the challenging market is to intensify efforts on business growth. This has resulted in launching a number of new initiatives, such as the relationship with Comcast, as well as CBConnect and more. Far-reaching new customer outreach campaigns, both at the corporate level and agent level, have been instituted. And Coldwell Banker has launched more focused marketing campaigns, especially e-marketing, and deployed more advanced technology for agents. Additionally, this as an opportunity to recruit outstanding agents to join the team – people who have a strong track record of success and have been through these cycles. Although facing the same challenges as everyone else, the way Coldwell Banker has weathered the storm and actually grown business and market share in some regions is encouraging. Market figures and reports from the field show things have improved tremendously over the past year.

2. How much more contraction can we expect?

No one has a crystal ball, but the data from Coldwell Banker offices and the market in general indicates that the worst of the downturn has passed and the market is heading back. Obviously things are not back to “normal” – far from it. But solid improvement has been seen in many of Denver metro markets. Last year, much of the gains came from bargain hunters buying up foreclosures and other distressed properties… But since last fall, and especially this year, strong improvement has come in the mid-range and even some of the upper levels of the market. Coldwell Banker’s monthly million-dollar housing report found high-end home sales in the Denver metro area jumped to their highest level in two full years this June. Still, American’s and Coloradoans must realize that as great as it would be, a V-shaped recovery in the economy or the housing market is not likely. This rebound is looking like it will come in fits and starts – more of a stair step improvement than a straight line. The good news, is has bounced sharply off last spring’s recessionary lows. But growth has slowed in the aftermath of the federal tax credit expiration. Facing economic headwinds in the months ahead – high unemployment, very slow GDP growth and consumer spending, and concerns about the debt markets. Nonetheless, improvement in Colorado sales is apparent. Couple that with an improving stock market, affordable home values, record-low mortgage rates, and you have a solid foundation for a steady housing recovery.

3. What continues to insulate or separate the Denver metro area from other markets?

The Denver metro area’s housing market has long been one of the most sought-after– not only in Colorado, but across the country. The demand for housing here has historically been far greater than most other regions for a number of reasons: First and foremost, the astounding entrepreneurial success that continues to spawn high-paying jobs and affluent employees looking for homes. Also, there’s a tremendous quality of life here that few regions in the world can match – outstanding schools, a wealth of recreational activities, five-star restaurants…and so much more. Also, some of the very best universities in the world are here in Denver and in Colorado – institutions that are producing tomorrow’s entrepreneurs. Buyers have always been willing to pay a premium for homes here, and sellers have historically received strong returns on their housing investments. Coldwell Banker’s latest Denver million-dollar home sales report illustrates this point: Not only were sales up to their highest level in two years, sellers got on average 90% of their asking price. So while the Denver metro area has not been immune to the economic and housing downturn of the past few years, this region may be bouncing back stronger than other parts of the country. Long-term investors who have waded into the market of late will be rewarded for their efforts with solid returns over the years.

4. What influence does the nation’s economic crisis have on real estate?

It’s an interesting question. It will be hard for the market to come all the way back to normal until our nation is in order, both in terms of the economy and what’s happening in the government. With a large budget deficit, the government must find a way to begin closing the gap. The only two ways of doing that are by cutting spending and increasing revenue – most likely both. Increased revenue will come as the overall economy recovers, but in the meantime it could mean increased taxation – perhaps sales and income tax. On the reduction side of the equation, closing the gap will likely mean job cuts and more unpaid furloughs of state employees. Both scenarios mean less disposable income for homeowners and potential homeowners to spend on housing. While all of this will certainly have an impact on the housing recovery, it’s more than offset by the positives being seen: buyers taking advantage of record-low mortgage rates and attractive prices, as well as a slow but steady improvement in stock portfolios, the jobs picture and the overall economy. The long-term future of real estate is bright.